Facts about Credits
- In ancient India, it was completely legal for a lender to fraudulently deprive a borrower of all property. Such a law was applicable only to the lower caste.
- In ancient Egypt, if a borrower failed to repay his loan on time, he went to prison or became a slave to the lender.
- In ancient Rome, for the debt on a loan, the borrower was thrown into a debtors’ prison, where he was given a month to collect the ransom, and then taken to the market with slaves.
Although Switzerland is called the country of the most eternal banks, the first bank was opened in Venice sometime in 1584. In the countries that had international trade routes, there appeared the first bank buildings. In Great Britain, the first bank was opened in 1694 for loans in the commercial and industrial system, in the Netherlands, the first bank appeared in 1609. Along with the pioneering countries, the Alpine state became the leader of banking services, even without easy access to the sea. It’s a paradox, but it’s a fact.
The term “bank” (translation of the Italian word banco), means “bench” or “table” with change coins.
The first bank in Switzerland was officially registered in the middle of the 19th century. The financial heyday of this country came at a time of religious troubles that shook Europe. Rich Huguenots who fled France found their lost home in Geneva and began to create the financial center of Europe there. The year 1815 is notable for the fact that the Congress of Vienna approved guarantees of the neutrality of the Alpine country of Switzerland. And so it happened that Switzerland never took part in military confrontations and its banks did not know robberies.
Fascinating facts about banks:
- Today, there are about 400 commercial banks operating in Switzerland with accounts totaling 52 trillion dollars.
- The British Foreign Office has stated many times that Nazi gold worth at least $4 billion is locked up in Alpine banks.
- Pope Alexander III declared all bankers outside and against the Church in 1179. The banker could not confess, receive communion, or even be buried as a Christian. By the way, this law has not been repealed.
- In Saudi Arabia, namely in Riyadh, there are several banks with only female employees. This is an opportunity for women to realize themselves without violating the laws of Islam.